This document discusses an online credit recovery program implemented at Zion-Benton Township High School to address high failure rates in traditional remedial courses. It provides statistics showing the online program called STARS achieved higher pass rates and allowed more students to catch up on credits than previous options. Teachers felt the program was reaching students who may have otherwise dropped out. Students also reported finding the online format easier to succeed in than traditional classes. The document considers areas for further refinement but overall found the program was having a positive impact on student success and graduation.

1. Online Credit Recovery
Steven M. Baule, Ph.D.
Principal
Zion-Benton Township High School
BauleS@zbths.org

2.  Education is the only business still debating the
usefulness of technology. Schools remain
unchanged for the most part, despite numerous
reforms and increased investments in
computers and networks.
 U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige

3. The Context
 We have 2500 students
 Nearly 30% fail a course each semester
 Over 144 students received 4 or more
“F”s last semester
 Diverse student body
 Technology Academy “laptop program”
where scores range between 17 & 35%
above counterparts in other areas

4. Traditional Remedial
Program
 We have English and Social Studies
Workshop courses for student who had
failed
 The failure rates of those programs
hovered around 50%
 So, obviously, they were not effective
 Math students simply stayed in a second
semester of a class they failed or waited a
year and became a year behind.

5. Changes to the Traditional
Program
 Reduced “workshop” class size limits from
30 to 17
 Failure rate dropped to 34% for R/W/W
and 23% for SSW
 Students who failed a course requiring the
mastery of earlier skills were not sent
forward (math and foreign language)

6. Options
 Students could attend night
school classes
 Summer school classes were
also available
 Correspondence courses
were used
 None allowed these students
to really “catch up”

7. Online Habits of Our
Students
 71% of online teens say they relied mostly on Internet
sources for the last big project they did for school.
 48% say their use of the Internet improves their
relationship with friends.
 94% of online teens report using the Internet for school-
related research.
 74% of online teens use instant messaging.
 24% of online teens have created their own Web pages.
 The number of children ages 4 to 18 who own at least one
wireless device (e.g. cell phones, PDAs) grew from 32% in
2002 to 43% in 2003.
 13% of those age 7 and under own a
wireless device

8. Online Option
 Novel/STARS
 www.novelstars.com
 http://www.edoption.com
 Piloted as an after school option
 Added to Summer School in 2003
 Added to regular school day in
January 2004

9. Refinement to Suit
 You can add additional modules,
assignments, etc. to the STARS
requirements in order to better meet
your school’s curricular needs.
 Even with “static” courses, you ca
always require additional papers,
readings, etc.

10. What Teachers Think
 I remain committed to the program and
feel it is reaching students who would
have otherwise dropped through the
cracks.
 A ZBTHS teacher

11. What Students Think
 It wasn’t bad. I didn’t like that fact we
couldn’t talk in class. I did really well. I got
As and Bs.
 A ZBTHS student

12. Math Comparisons
 The following statistics compare the
STARS Alg/PreAlg school day program to
Accelerated Math in PreAlgebra and
Traditional Classroom credit recovery in
Algebra 1
 Students in all classes had failed their
semester 1 math course.

13. Math Comparisons (SY)
Passed
Sem.
Passed
Multi.
Sem.
Failed
STARS 59% 27% 13%
Accelerated
Math
53% 13% 33%
Traditional
Classroom
50% N/A 50%

14. Summer School
 R/R/Workshop
 25 students, 4 failed 16% failure rate
 21 students received a semester of credit
 STARS
 44 students, 4 failed 9% failure rate
 27 students received a semester of credit
 14 received 2 semesters of credit
 1 student received 3 semesters of credit
 2 students received 4 semesters of credit

15. Areas for Refinement
 Students in second semester courses see
the opportunity to catch up, first
semester students do not necessarily see
that
 We are going to severely restrict access
to STARS first semester
 If students cause problems in class, they
will be returned to study hall in order to
make room for another student wanting
the opportunity STARS provides

16. Overall Impact
 Students experience success
 Students are able to graduate on
time
 Students are not “reclassified” due
to lack of credits
 Students have the opportunity to
join later in the semester and still
earn credit